Living Wisely conference gives students ideas on how to make godly decisions

For a third year, the Student Life organization and the Land Center partnered together to bring a Living Wisely conference to students of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College on Feb. 19, giving participants suggestions for and examples of how to deal with decision-making in different areas of life and ministry.

The conference included a keynote session, breakout sessions, and a closing panel discussion featuring Southwestern faculty and alumni. Student Life Director Alex Miller summarized the goal of the conference as encouraging students to examine their hearts.

“When you’re making decisions, it really comes from your character,” Miller said, after reading from Isaiah 32, which describes a noble person making noble plans. “You can have a lot of skill and a lot of understanding, but without the character to back it up as a follower of Jesus, you’re going to have a hard time making decisions.”

Chris Osborne, professor of preaching and pastoral ministry and a pastor for more than 40 years, shared the keynote address. He said during his most recent pastorate in Bryan, Texas, near Texas A&M, he would see hundreds of college students come through the church every year. During their sometimes-brief time at his church while they studied, Osborne said he witnessed them making key decisions concerning what they would study and what career they would pursue, who they would marry, and whether their faith they grew up with was one they would own for themselves. In each of those scenarios, Osborne said he saw good decisions and bad decisions made.

“You have to have a basis for making decisions,” Osborne said. “Because the problem is, even when you get out of college, every day you face decisions.”

Osborne said the best way to make godly decisions is to have extensive knowledge of the Scripture and a sensitivity to the Spirit’s guiding. He pointed out Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1, when he prayed that Christians would be filled with the spirit of knowledge and spirit of revelation.

“I don’t want that knowledge just in your head,” Osborne emphasized concerning knowing the Word well enough to recognize a wrong decision. “I want it driven in your heart so that you live it out. There’s the first basis. If I have a decision, first thing I’m going to ask is, ‘What does the Bible say about what I’m doing?’”

For those questions and decisions concerning specific situations that are not clearly addressed by Scripture, Osborne said believers have to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

“The Holy Spirit can speak to me outside of the Scripture, without contradicting the Scripture, and direct my life where I need to be,” Osborne explained.

When those two steps are taken of knowing the Scripture and being sensitive to the Spirit’s leading, Osborne said the often-unseen results are that God is honored and the enemy is damaged. While that should be motivation enough for a believer to make godly decisions instead of selfish ones, Osborne said that is not always the case.

“If you live that way, your life is no longer yours,” Osborne said. “And you’re going to be asked to sacrifice things you may not want to sacrifice, then we struggle with whether or not we want to do this. … You have to believe that when you honor the Father, that if you live under the Word and live under the leadership of the Spirit, you do those two things, you will honor the Father, you will damage the enemy, whether you see it or not, and then it’s worth whatever sacrifice He may ask you to make. If you can believe those two things, you’ll always make the right decision.”

During the breakout sessions, TBC Dean Carl Bradford and his wife Andrea addressed the importance of making decisions in life and ministry as a couple. Bradford said when making large decisions as a couple or a family, every believer needs to consider if the choice is made from devotion and obedience to God, resulting in His peace; if the impact on the family is considered with a focus on unity; and if the individual himself has the gifting and capacity to handle the commitment to the decision.

Andrea said these are things their family considered at different moments in their life and ministry, such as when Bradford became the dean and Andrea decided to pursue a PhD at Southwestern. But in every decision, she said believers should consider the needs of their spouse.

“You just want to prioritize what the other person wants because I think marriage and ministry is sacrificial,” Andrea said.

Even when a decision is made with assurance that it’s God’s will, good for the family, and something the believer feels is right for them personally, Andrea admitted that does not guarantee it will be easy. But God will provide clarity with either closed doors or the way to accomplish it.

“I think when God calls you to things, He’ll send you help as well, especially when you have a partner,” Andrea said.

Bradford added that the consideration of family and self and even wisdom from others are all just a way that God leads believers to trust Him in every decision.

“I think God is using all those things, though, to ultimately get you to recognize, yes, God is enough,” Bradford said. “… Because we are frail people and humans made of dust, ultimately, God has given us these extra things and people in our lives and components that it can help us understand what His will is, to better get there.”

Dan Darling, director of the Land Center and assistant professor of faith and culture at TBC, led a session on strategies to use when facing decisions where neither option is described as wrong in the Scripture, such as when seeking a job or a spouse.

In those situations, Darling advised the students to seek the counsel of many advisors, not to make the decisions in an emotional state, and then to make a decision and move forward.

“If you want to get good wisdom, multiple counselors bring wisdom, pray about this, but you also don’t want to suffer from paralysis by analysis,” Darling said. “I know people who have passed opportunity after opportunity in their life, whether it’s a potential spouse or job, because they’re just analyzing, ‘I don’t know if it’s God’s will. I’m waiting for a cloud or a burning bush.’”

Darling also warned against living in isolation, with a sense of entitlement, or with a feeling of insecurity, since those postures could hurt future decisions. He instead suggested the students have relationships in their lives with their parents or godly mentors, peers that are faithful believers, and proteges who they can themselves be discipling.

Jonathan Williams—a two-time graduate, adjunct professor, and pastor of Wedgwood Baptist Church—led a session on decision-making within the pastoral ministry, especially when unexpected difficulties come and decisions have to be made.

“I think a lot of times we think when we get in ministry we’re going to be teaching, preaching, maybe leading a meeting, recruiting volunteers, equipping them to serve, maybe starting a new ministry or program, we’re going to be sharing the Gospel with the lost, making disciples,” Williams said of some of the expectations of pastoring. “And we forget that in the midst of all of that, there are a thousand unexpected decisions and situations that come up every single week.”

With every new situation and decision, Williams said growth happens in the life of the pastor. Those aspiring to be pastors should not expect to be a good leader and wise decision-maker on the first day.

“Usually, the way that we grow in making wise decisions is through a series of bad decisions,” Williams said. “Usually, the way that we find wisdom is by living with wise people for years and years, serving with wise people, running with other believers, leading together, serving together, making decisions together. And in years’ time, we see that we have grown in our wisdom. We have grown in our making wise decisions. And you might feel like you’re measuring the growth by an inch at a time, but as long as you are on a trajectory of growth, eventually you will see massive growth.”

The conference ended with a panel discussion with the breakout session leaders and Brian Berry, instructor of biblical studies at TBC, moderating the questions. Questions addressed topics such as how to handle doubts after a decision is made, what to do when parents oppose your decisions, and what difficult situations the panelists have faced in ministry.